07/07/2026

Saudi Arabia Calls for Global Partnership to Bridge AI Gaps, Benefit Humanity, Protect Planet

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha stressed that Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, continues to strengthen its role as a trusted partner to the international community in bridging artificial intelligence (AI) gaps and enabling countries and societies to gain equitable access to AI capabilities in ways that benefit humanity, protect the planet, and open new horizons for prosperity.  He noted that the concentration of advanced capabilities, AI data centers, and frontier AI models in a limited number of countries creates a shared international responsibility to ensure that the majority of the world's nations are not left behind in the AI revolution. He stressed that the Kingdom is working to connect East and West, as well as North and South, through its strategic location, reliable digital infrastructure, and global leadership in energy.  The minister noted that, as the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, Saudi Arabia is committed to developing technological enablers and language models that serve a broad segment of the world's population and contribute to greater linguistic and cultural inclusivity in AI applications, ensuring that the technology is more equitable and representative of diverse peoples and societies.  He pointed out that the Kingdom takes pride in its key partnership with the United Nations on AI initiatives and its role in founding the Digital Cooperation Organization, contributing to enabling more than one billion people to access advanced AI capabilities while boosting multilateral cooperation to build a more inclusive and sustainable digital future.  The minister stressed that the current stage requires a global shift from discussing internet access as a human right to recognizing access to AI as a human right, given its profound impact on humanity's future, the protection of the planet, and the creation of new opportunities for development and prosperity.